Beacontown Tales
by grovyrosegirl
Summary: A collection of my short fanfics for Minecraft Story Mode, from blog requests to the season two countdown. Will contain multiple ships and spoilers for both season one and season two.
1. The Final Two

**Author's Note: Hello! I haven't been updating on fanfiction in a while, mostly due to real life and focusing more on my tumblr blog. For the past couple months I've been doing requests and writing short MCSM fanfics on my tumblr (my username is the same on there as it is here if you wanna check it out) and someone suggested I put all of these shortfics into one story. And seeing how a lot of other writers in the fandom have been doing the same thing, I thought I'd join in. So I hope you enjoy! Thank you for reading!**

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From the day she'd spawned, they were a team. The world Mevia found herself in on that very first day, the one that would eventually grow so big, and the world that she would find herself thrown out of had been a terrifying place. But she made it. Their world. Their home. They'd made it together. The untouchable duo.

And then that little runt came along and ruined everything.

Upon their escape from a void-like world populated by oddly sized chickens, the objective of making Jesse suffer had obviously been near the top of the list. Reclaiming the Builder Games was there too, but with Otto clearly not cooperating anymore and the Gladiators ready to pound Hadrian and her the moment they stepped foot back in that world, neither of them were in any rush to get started. No, that would have to wait. They needed to restock their supplies, make a plan, and play all of their cards right. Oh, and you know, not die.

Mevia couldn't remember the last time death had been so looming. The pain that came before death? Oh she was already acquainted with it much more than she'd like. It just _had_ to be pistons. Such an unpleasant way to go. Yet the idea of experiencing that same pain and then just…poof, gone forever, haunted her. It was what made her sleep with one eye open practically every night. After all, she wasn't the only one who could die now. For their first few days wandering around various worlds to collect supplies, Mevia would find small comfort in the sound of Hadrian snoring loudly as their campfires cracked in the nighttimes.

They would be fine, those sounds would whisper to her. In the decades of being alive, this was only one defeat. And soon, it would only be a rough patch. They would get back to full strength, return home, and teach each one of those pests what happened when you crossed her and Hadrian. That's what always happened when an obstacle was hurled at them. That's why the stadiums were emptied of an actual audience for centuries, because nobody else mattered. It was _their_ world. _Their_ games. And the two of them would always be the winners.

So then…why?

Why was he running away?!

Today had started out a lucky expedition. In a world completely covered in thick jungle and mountains, the duo stumbled upon an untouched cavern filled to the brim with minerals. No quartz, gold, or diamond, unfortunately, Hadrian deduced that the "good stuff" must've been deeper in the mountain. Well, an iron axe could cut better than a stone one. She'd take it for now.

However, thunderous trembling and the bright glow of lava racing straight towards them waved a red flag of what kind of mountain the two were walking in. The entrance had been mere inches way when the ground beneath Mevia gave way, leaving her left hand clutching the edge of a gravel block. She could feel it eroding beneath her fingers as the lava poured, filling the deep abyss below her. Attempting to pull herself up would result in the block falling apart, sending her to a painful demise. Her one chance lied with her companion a few feet away, staring at her dangling hand. All he had to was grab her arm and pull her up.

But instead, he was turning on his heel and running.

"Hadrian!" Mevia called out, attempting to keep herself from slipping, "Come back!"

He paused, glancing back at her. He adjusted his glasses so that they covered his unreadable eyes staring at her desperate situation.

"Sorry Mevia," Hadrian proclaimed in the same voice they'd use when announcing the games, "it's the final round. No room for ties."

With those brief, shattering words, the purple suited man hopped out into the sunlight, disappearing from her sight.

No.

No way.

… _No way was she dying like this._

With her free hand, the blue haired warrior managed to reach into her inventory and grab the newly crafted iron axe. She reeled it back and slammed its blade right on the edge of a nearby stone block. Now able to move her other hand from the gravel, Mevia pulled herself over, the rising lava just missing the end of her dress. There was no time to even take a breath as she hurried out from the cave, getting a far enough distance so that the ash pouring from the top of the mountain wouldn't block her sight.

From the top of a thick tree, Mevia couldn't spot Hadrian anywhere in the dark jungle below. But that was fine. After all…

"The hard way's more fun," she muttered under her breath, grinning and giving the iron axe a spin in her hand.

Wherever Jesse was, the brat should consider herself lucky. She was now number two on Mevia's eliminate list.


	2. Make It Work (Isa and Milo)

There was no doubt that Milo and Isa were very different people. She was level-headed, he was excitable. She was a realist, he was a dreamer. She was organized, he was creative. The list went on. One would believe that having such polar opposites running a newly made civilization would result in nothing ever getting done. But they'd be wrong.

Well…

Sort of.

It's true, in the early days of the newly founded Ground City—the only name that the two of them agreed on—there were often arguments between the former Founder and the former Build Club leader. Mostly they involved where to put new structures, safety measures, and what laws needed to be in place. Thankfully, compromise usually won in the end.

Even with the seemingly limitless new world around them, it didn't stop citizens from getting into squabbles over resources they discovered, squabbles that both Isa and Milo needed to resolve. Maybe that had been the one similar trait that forced the two to put aside most of their differences; people needed them. This was a new home, a new life. In these sorts of times, there had to be at least one person who knew what they were doing.

The largest building in the budding city was the one that the two of them had built together, a decently sized wooden structure that acted as both their home (although separate bedrooms were essential to keep each other sane at first) and as the headquarters for leadership duties. Town meetings were often held in the evenings, while small building contests often took place in the grass out front in the afternoons. It'd been an odd living situation, Isa wasn't fully used to company outside of the guards, and Milo would tell anyone who listened that having an energetic chicken running around caused more than a fair share of shenanigans around the house. But they made it work. It was funny, that phrase seemed to sum their entire relationship.

Isa would soon admit that having the builder at her side to lead was a tremendous relief. While the rebellious Milo admitted that having the former ruler around had saved his life more times than he could count. Even the sounds of Benedict's flapping wings and her surprised clucks became part of the daily routine. Good thing too, as it stopped Milo from calling the chicken "The Eversource", sparing him from Isa's annoyed glares.

It made sense then as months went by and the city grew larger, that Milo realized Isa needed her breaks. He recalled overhearing her mention a desire to travel and explore this new untouched biome quite some time in the past, and at the breakfast table just a few weeks ago, he proposed his brilliant plan. He called it "Operation: Adventure Days", a system where once a week, one of them would be free of all their duties for the day and go explore as they pleased while the other handled everything at home. She was hesitant at first, especially when Milo gave her the first day, but she didn't wish for her and Benedict to be stuck inside all day and soon grew fond of her days off. Sometimes after her expeditions with Benedict, Isa would bring home tokens of their adventure. Any new kind of building material she stumbled upon during her travels she gave to Milo, knowing he would enjoy working with them.

This particular summer evening had been one of those said adventure days for Isa. As the moon rose over the city now full of humble wooden and stone homes, its citizens soon lit up the dirt roads outside and windows of their houses with torches. Milo himself was using the glow of a smaller torch as he sat in the common room of the headquarters, reading over some blueprints given to him by a former Build Club member. It was a layout of what would eventually be a bridge, although the member had asked Milo to revise it and write suggestions down. So far all his tired hands could muster to write was that the ends would be unstable if they were built from sand. Today in particular had been a busy one, full of issues and tasks needed to be done. Perhaps he should've checked both his own and Isa's to-do lists earlier, at least that would've given him a head start and save him exhaustion later.

As Milo released a long yawn, he could feel his head dripping down, the quill in his hand slipping from his grasp. No, no, he attempted to pull himself back up. Had to finish this. Needed to stay awake…

The sound of the oak door clicking shut and a giddy laughter broke the silence, causing Milo to sit up straight and turn towards the doorway. Isa had returned, Benedict trotting by her side. Both of them covered in mud spots, Isa was sporting a few scratches and bruises, and her light yellow robe now had a tear in its sleeve. Yet she still wore a bright smile on her face.

"Welcome back," he greeted them before letting out another soft yawn.

Upon seeing the sight of him, Isa folded her arms, still keeping the smile, "You look exhausted."

"Says the one covered head to toe in dirt," Milo retorted in a humorous manner, his drowsy blue eyes noticed a twig tangled in her long locks of black hair. It even had a tiny leaf growing at the end. "How was today's grand journey?"

"You wouldn't believe what we found today," Isa said, bending down to pet her chicken companion pecking at the floor, ruffling the feathers on her head, "we stumbled upon this large field of flowers. There were so many, all different colors and scents, it was lovely. I brought some back with me if you're interested in making some dye with them."

Milo nodded, "I have been wanting to see what patterns I can do with wool. Although forgive me for asking, but how does a peaceful activity such as flower picking give you bruises?"

Isa tilted her head, "Well if you would allow me to finish my story, I'll tell you. On the way back, there was a herd of horses racing by us. Benedict and I thought perhaps we could tame them with the carrots I packed, but it was a grave mistake to only present _two_ carrots to _ten_ horses." She gave a small laugh, "We even attempted jumping in the river to escape them."

"Oh my," Milo replied, rubbing one eye, "remind me again, what is a horse?"

Isa tapped her chin, contemplating a way to describe it to him, "Picture a sheep, except much taller, fur instead of wool, and longer faces."

The builder rose an eyebrow, "Thank you for that description, Isa. Now I will be struck with nightmares for days."

The comment made Isa burst out with laughter, Milo joining in until he was stopped by a much louder yawn jumping from his mouth.

"I assure you, seeing one for yourself will be much less frightening," Isa made her way over, Benedict wandering off into another room, and looked over his shoulder at the paper stacks around him. "Seems as if you've had quite the workload today. Would you like some assistance?"

He shook his head, "Absolutely not, you remember the terms of Operation Adventure Days, no work until sunrise the next day."

"My, my, Milo, and here I thought you were one who made it a point to break rules set in place," She teased lightly.

He blinked, staring at her for a moment before reaching for his quill once more and cracking a grin of his own, "Fair point. Very well, the chair across is open."

"Excellent, let me just wash up first and I'll be back shortly," Isa stated, turning and exiting the room.

Milo stopped his writing once more, looking back to where the former founder had left. How funny it was, to see such a pleasant smile from her.

If you had told him this would be his favorite sight a couple months ago, he would've claimed you were mad.


	3. Justice

It was ironic, really. The person who caused the most chaos when Sky City fell was the most quiet prisoner ever. It was almost if Aiden's madness, his lust for power, and that giant ego that Reginald faced off against in the throne room washed away in the waterfall the former tyrant fell from.

Sometimes Reginald wondered what would've happened if he had pulled Aiden out of the water before he fell. Would the fool still have learned his lesson? Actually, better question, did he even learn his lesson in the first place? He would sigh and shake his head. It didn't matter now. He and Jesse walked away. Aiden could've found his own way off the island, but instead he chose to charge at Jesse. He chose to steal the Eversource. This was his punishment.

Still, the fact that moment was the last time Reginald ever heard Aiden say a complete sentence to him was unsettling, to say the least.

Not that Aiden didn't talk at all. Reginald would sometimes hear him mutter a small 'thank you' when he and his two friends would receive their meals or a quick 'sorry' whenever he made a mistake during their mining jobs. The nights where he guarded them, he could swear he heard the three prisoners whispering and muttering among each other. He could never make out the words of their soft conversations, but seeing how they hardly caused trouble anymore, Reginald doubted the trio were planning any sort of prison riot.

Besides, even if they were, a riot of only three people wouldn't be that wise.

The other two, Maya and Gill if he recalled their names correctly, weren't as distant. The two of them would send a glare towards him and the other guards, or talk back when they were scolded. But whenever they went out of line, it would surprisingly be their little ringleader who would tell them to stop before any of the other guards had the chance.

What happened? That was always the question on his mind.

Nowadays, Reginald hardly had the time to check in on the prison. Isa and Milo needed him around for the more pressing matters of their growing new city. After all, the place where the two leaders were laying out the foundations of their civilization was much more important to protect than a little cobblestone prison holding three headaches on the Founder's mind. Right?

Regardless, Isa dismissed him for the night, telling him to spend the rest of such a lovely evening as he pleased. Clearly, he thought to himself, he'd gone mad enough to start walking towards the prison when he wasn't on duty. What was the word to describe the sensation? A gut feeling? Gut feeling. He went with that. A very _bad_ gut feeling.

It followed him as he entered the prison, the absence of a guard at the entrance to the cell block catching his attention. Then came the echoes of voices. They almost sounded like cheers, similar to the ones of celebrations held in town, but much louder. Much more…fiery. Reginald slowly moved towards the cells and turned to see three of the four guards stationed at the prison were now standing in front of the only occupied cell. Through their shouting and laughter, Reginald heard another sound. Screaming. In their hands, they held plain eggs. He saw the farthest one reach his arm back before throwing an egg into the cell.

"How does it feel now? Huh?!" One of them shouted, followed by a grunt of pain from the cell.

The gut feeling became a heavy sinking one as he ran for the cell, the other three guards going pale and dropping their remaining eggs when they saw him. They immediately moved out of the way, allowing him to enter the cell. There, he saw the fourth guard, the one he'd left in charge of all people, standing in front of the three prisoners. Maya and Gill were huddled against the wall, clearly they'd been shielding themselves from the air attack of eggs before. Aiden was in front of them, his arms extending out. His clothes were covered in dirt, one of the sleeves was torn. There were scratches on his face, and some pieces of eggshell were tangled in his already messy hair.

"You should consider yourselves lucky," the guard taunted, an egg gripped tightly and drawn back, ready to throw, " _these_ eggs don't have monsters in them."

"Stop!" The brunette exclaimed, the glare on his face was the first one Reginald had seen from him in weeks.

The guard rose an eyebrow, "You want to repeat that, prisoner?"

"Just…Just stop, okay?!" He stuttered, his whole body trembling.

The guard's eyes went wide, his scowl becoming more violent, "Stop? _Stop?!_ How many people screamed that at you and your little minions there? How many people did you hurt that night? Did you stop when they cried out for mercy? This is child's play compared to what you three did! What makes you think you even have the right to ask for that?!"

He grabbed Aiden by his shirt, yanking him forward. He kept the struggling prisoner in place with one fist, as the other drew back and flew forward to deliver another punch to his face. The other two cried out, as Reginald sprinted forward, grabbing the guard's wrist right as his fist was a mere inch away from Aiden, who had clamped his eyes shut and turned his head away. The guard released a small gasp as he saw Reginald's cold eyes shooting daggers at him.

"Captain Reginald-,"

Aiden looked forward again, his green eyes going big when he saw the guard's shaking fist held back by Reginald's firm grip.

"Lay a hand on him again, and you lose it," Reginald said in a low voice, releasing the guard who backed away slowly. The other three guards could only stare at the floor.

The head guard spoke up, "Sir, I can explain."

"Don't even try," He replied. "All of you are dismissed for the night. Return to your homes. But believe me, we _will_ be discussing this first thing in the morning. If any of you aren't here at the crack of dawn, I will personally take you to the Founder myself. Is that clear?"

There was a minute of pure silence until the guard nodded, "Yes sir."

The four guards quickly shuffled away and out of the prison. Reginald's stare on their backs keeping their movements rigid until they were out of sight. He slowly turned his attention back to the prisoners, who were all looking at him. Maya keeping close to Gill's side, and Aiden still stood in front. No one spoke a word.

"Have they given you your evening meal yet?" The captain asked, breaking the silence.

The other two glanced at Aiden, relying on him for words now.

"No," Aiden answered and shook his head, "Gill started complaining that they were late on giving us that and that's when they brought the eggs out."

Reginald's look was hardened, but he gave an affirmative nod, "I see. In that case, I'll go get your food. I see some of those cuts are bleeding, so I'll be bringing you some bandages as well. It will only take a few minutes."

He exited the cell, closing the iron door behind him, locking it shut. Reginald stared straight at Aiden through the bars.

"When I get back, you all better still be in here. The threat to take you straight to the Founder applies to you three too, understood?"

Their answer was made up of three nods, all in unison.

"Good." He continued to walk straight ahead, only stopping when he heard Aiden's small voice speak up.

"Thank you, sir."

Reginald stayed silent, but gave one last nod. He exited the prison, heading towards the food storage shed nearby. Some bread should do, perhaps they would get soup tonight as well.

The captain glanced over his shoulder at the small cobblestone building. What those guards had said was somewhat true. The Blaze Rods didn't deserve the mercy they'd been given. But they were here, and they were alive. And it was his job to make sure they stayed that way.


	4. The Perfect Gift (Lukas and Jesse)

Lukas sat at his desk, a quill in his hand, staring at a blank sheet of paper. On the floor lying by his feet were his failed attempts at writing, the papers crumbled up into spheres and tossed aside. Each one beginning with some sort of forced greeting and leading to a pathetic excuse for a friendly letter. He lowered the quill and let out a sigh.

For pete's sake, why was this so hard?

It was just a birthday card. All you had to do was write a nice little message, sign your name, maybe put a drawing on the front, stick it on the gift, and there you go, done. Easy. At least it would be, if he could get the words to work with him.

 _Come on,_ he urged himself, _you wrote an entire book in the span of a couple weeks, you can write a card._

Lukas dipped the quill into the inkwell and allowed his hand to move onto the paper.

 _Hey,_

 _Wow, isn't it weird to think you're another year older?_

He smacked his forehead with his free hand.

"That just sounds stupid," he muttered under his breath as he scrunched up the paper.

To the waste bin it went with a toss over his shoulder.

Maybe it was the fact that he hadn't even gotten the gift to go along with the card yet. Heck, he still didn't even have an idea of what the gift would be. But he couldn't lie to himself. It wasn't just what the gift was. It was _who_ it was for.

Petra was the one who informed Lukas of Jesse's upcoming birthday. It came up during a conversation while they were mining together a few days ago. He'd been somewhat surprised that Jesse never mentioned it before, although—according to Petra at least—this was because she didn't want word to spread around town and cause her to end up with a mountain of gifts from the New Order's fans. Lukas didn't blame her for that. Though maybe he could somewhat blame Petra for the writer's block, as what she had said next was still repeating in his head.

 _"You know," Petra cracked a smirk, "I think something special from you would make her birthday even better."_

She was only joking around at the time, a small jab at Lukas' apparently not-so-subtle feelings towards Jesse, he knew that of course. Unfortunately, the nagging in his head wouldn't go away. He needed to make this gift special. He _wanted_ to make it special.

And perhaps, a gift that important could help him tell her how he really felt. A way to display all of those mixed up and complicated emotions. Feelings that even Lukas couldn't pinpoint the time when they started. Words on a piece of paper was obviously not helping. Time was short, as the small scale surprise party that his friends had begun planning for Jesse was only two weeks away.

The builder had already gone through a long list of possible gifts to get her. Twice. Not a single idea felt right. They were either too obvious or something she probably already had. The most important part of any gift, he believed, is showing the person how well you know them.

Lukas liked to think he knew Jesse pretty well, despite their friendship being relatively new. Axel and Olivia knew Jesse so well they could practically guess what she was about to say in every conversation. A year was a long time, sure, but it was nothing compared to the lifelong friendships she had with the others.

Well no, that wasn't true, Lukas knew Jesse for much longer than a year. He'd known her name and her face ever since she'd arrived in town with Axel and Olivia one day. He still remembered what she looked like back then, a bright face full of curiosity and and wide eyes filled with excitement at everything she spotted. Lukas even recalled how she used to wear her now long black hair in two braids. But a nine year rivalry at the building competition didn't give much leeway for conversation, or even much of an acquaintanceship at the very least. Yet, even after so many years of her and her friends losing to his team, the taunts, the nasty jabs his former team gave them, and all the moments where he should've stepped up and said something, Jesse had welcomed him with open arms. And ever since his old team stabbed him in the back, Jesse went out of her way to make sure he felt like a part of her's. Not to mention, Lukas couldn't count how many times she'd saved his life from certain death. She was the hero of the very same book he'd written.

Still, it became so much more than gratitude. Walking with her through the forest, chatting about even the most minor things, having a laugh over a baking lesson gone wrong, was time never wasted. The best part was simply being assured Jesse enjoyed being with him too. Even if it wasn't on the same level as the way he enjoyed her company.

Okay. Jesse liked him, he knew that.

 _But how does she know you love her?_ He asked himself before releasing a groan. Right back to square one.

Lukas leaned back in his chair, staring up at the wooden ceiling of his cabin. Maybe accepting defeat would be good for today. If only working through stuff like this was like building. You make a plan, grab the pieces you need, and stick with it, making adjustments here or there as you go along. Suddenly, the blond blinked. Gears clicked in his head.

Lukas reached into the nearby chest, grabbing a much larger parchment of paper, the kind he used for blueprints. He stood up and spread it out flat across the desk. Placing the inkwell and quill aside, he took some chalk and began sketching onto the blue paper. He didn't know exactly what the build would be in the end, but it would come to him. It always did.

With a gift like this, he wouldn't even need a card or some fancy paper to put it in. All he needed was a big open spot and the right materials. Lukas grinned.

If he couldn't put how he felt into words, then maybe putting it into blocks would do.


	5. Sunflower Fields (Petra and Jesse)

Petra opened her eyes slowly, squinting them when the sight of a bright sun came into focus. She moved her head to the side and blinked away the sting, noticing individual blades of grass that were swaying softly in a breeze. The sky above was its usual blue, not a single cloud to be seen. Yet even with the sun so bright and the absence of clouds, the air around her wasn't hot. Rather, it was just…warm. Not too cold, not too hot, but a nice comfortable warm.

Petra sat up, rubbing her forehead as she tried to clear the fuzziness that was in her head. As she did, she noticed that the surrounding grassy hill was covered with splotches of yellow. Sunflowers, the name clicking her in head, standing tall at every inch of the place. A sense of nostalgia washed over her. That's right, she'd been here before.

During the days when she was simply known as the resident go-getter, Petra had often come to this sunflower patch in between jobs. Not for any particular reason, it wasn't like there was anything to be found there. But it was always quiet, as the nearest village was miles away. Petra liked quiet. Just some good old time alone with her thoughts. No zombies to kill or the stingy customers that she unluckily had to put up with on occasion. Some visits she would stroll along through the sunflowers or simply lie down in the grass for a quick nap. Heck, one time Petra decided to pick a couple of the flowers and take them back home. She wasn't one for decorating, but even had to admit that they looked nice in the house for the short time they survived in the vase. She'd never seen anyone walking through the patch, the only residents in this place were rabbits and the occasional wild horse. It seemed that even the animals were avoiding the hill today, allowing the girl to have it all to herself.

Weird, she couldn't seem to remember where she'd been heading to before stopping here today. Her inventory was empty, aside from a single apple.

Ah crud, where was her sword? Petra frowned, trying to recall any place where she might've left it. But another light breeze danced by, carrying the minor irritation away with it as she just shrugged it off. There weren't any mobs around anyway and the sun didn't seem like it was going anywhere anytime soon. Maybe she would just snooze a bit longer, a nap hadn't killed her before, why start now? Then she could snack on the apple afterwards. The redhead reached upwards, snatching the bandana tied around her head. She smoothed it out so that it was resting flat in the grass. Slowly Petra stretched herself back into the grass, her cheek resting against the bandana, as she let the fuzzy drowsiness grow on her once more. She chuckled, feeling rather silly that she'd forgotten such a peaceful place.

 _Cut yourself some slack,_ Petra thought to herself, _been busy with all the hero stuff._

Hero stuff…the words echoed a bit in her thoughts. Oh yeah, a break from that seemed good too. What was the last crazy treasure hunt Jesse roped her in? Right, the jungle temple where they'd found the flint and steel.

 _Wait._

Petra shot back up, the grass rustling under her. How did she get back here? When did they find the portal back home? She shook her head, the breeze having no effect this time other than being a nuisance, as the fog in her head began disappearing. She wasn't supposed to be here. Even though it frustrated her to remember it, she knew that she should've been in the portal hall right now. She had to be there. Where else would she be?

Springing up to her feet, Petra began darting down the hill, pushing the tall flowers away when they blocked her path. Find a way out of here. Find the portal. Find-

"-Jesse!" Petra gasped sharply as the whole world jolted and changed with a blink of the eye.

She was lying on the ground again, only this time there was a dark cloudy sky awaiting her. Wet grass was smushed under the plates of her armor. Her golden sword lying in a mud puddle a few inches away from her hand, she reached out and grabbed the handle tightly. Petra pushed herself to her feet, regaining balance as the haziness faded away. Examining the area around her, she saw a fog moving along areas with mud and grass, murky waters covered in lily pads. The croaking of frogs and other creatures hiding in the shadows somewhere filled the air. The young warrior looked ahead, a silhouette that felt out of place catching her attention. It looked a person lying down, a familiar glowing sword lying next to them.

"Jesse!" She exclaimed, running towards the figure. As her boots splashed in the muddy puddles spread about, memories came flooding back. Lukas' turn to pick the next portal landed them in a world covered in swampland. While promising to be home at first, Jesse claiming it looked just like the swamp they'd seen before, the night sky that never turned to day said otherwise. In their trudging through the thick and murky water, the four of them encountered a small structure nearby. Ivor had immediately recognized it as a witch's hut and urged them to turn around, recalling how a previous witch encounter hadn't gone so well. To Petra's surprise, Jesse had wholeheartedly agreed with the alchemist and started to search for an alternate route.

Unfortunately, a high pitched laughter alerted them that the danger already spotted them. A witch emerged from the hut, holding a throwing potion that looked unfamiliar to Petra. The fact that Ivor didn't recognize it either just screamed bad news. The four had scattered into the swamp in their attempts to dodge the attack. She remembered moving towards the back of the hut, hoping to launch an attack on the witch from behind. The last thing she remembered was the sound of shattering glass and a pink smoke covering everything. As she continued running, she pushed aside the realization that Lukas and Ivor were nowhere in sight. One worry at a time, and Jesse was that right now.

Petra bent down, finally seeing Jesse's face through the fog. The armor they wore was covered in mud, most likely Jesse had gone down with a fight. Their were eyes closed as if they were asleep and, to Petra's relief, they breathed normally. She attempted to give them a shake, but they didn't respond.

"Jesse, come on," Petra repeated as she grabbed them by their shoulders and shook harder, "wake up! Snap out of it!"

Jesse merely gave a small groan, their eyes remaining shut. Her shouts going nowhere, Petra grunted in frustration. That is, until she saw a smile growing on Jesse's face. It wasn't one of their cheeky smiles they made whenever they said one of their dumb jokes or the strained ones when they tried to hide their worries. The smile was small, but genuine. Petra knew it all too well. Which is why she felt somewhat crummy for what she had to do next.

"Sorry Jesse, I don't know exactly what you're seeing," She sighed, the image of the sunflower field popping in her head, "you probably think that world is a dream come true. But you're wrong."

Petra took a breath, reeling back her hand as she kept the other on Jesse's shoulder to keep them sitting up. With a swift swing, she gave a hard punch to their shoulder. It quickly got a reaction from Jesse, their eyes opening wide and their right hand moving fast to grip the spot where she'd hit.

"OW!" Jesse yelped, giving the redhead an annoyed glare, "What was that for?!"

Although the annoyance and pained expression dropped quickly, as reality appeared to settle back with Jesse. They glanced around their surroundings before moving back to Petra.

"Wait, what's-," The young leader stumbled over their words, "Petra, where…why am I…?"

"Swamp," She cut them off before releasing them, "we fought a witch remember? I'm guessing she hit you with that weird potion too, right?"

Jesse clamped a hand to their forehead, "Right, right, that's right. You got hit and I was trying to get over to you but then that witch blocked the way. I think…yeah, I was trying to bounce that potion off my sword back at her…but it broke. Then the next thing I knew I was back in my-,"

They stopped. Their look of confusion mixing with one of somber.

"You saw someplace…familiar, right?" Petra asked, moving over so that she was sitting next to Jesse, "I think that was the weird potion's doing. It must make you hallucinate, start seeing something nice so that you don't want to wake up." She huffed and shook her head, "Give the witch credit, that's one heck of a defense system."

Jesse met their eyes with her own, "I was home, Petra. Like… _home_ , home. And," They gulped, going quiet again for a moment before saying, "he was there waiting for me. I got to…see him again."

Petra slowly nodded, wrapping her arm around Jesse, "I figured."

Another minute of quiet passed by, Jesse shifted just a bit closer to Petra and rested their head on her shoulder. She didn't mind, letting Jesse close their eyes and sigh for a moment. After everything they've gone through on this crazy adventure, they deserved just one minute.

Finally, Petra stood up, bringing Jesse with her. She gave a small pat to their back and handed them their sword.

"Come on, let's find the others."


	6. Waiting (MCSM Countdown Day 2)

"You're crazy," Lukas blurted out.

Olivia looked over her shoulder at the blond, one foot had already started moving down the staircase to the lower floor of the Order of the Stone's temple, "Gee, tell me how you really feel, Lukas."

He shook his head, following behind her as she began heading down, and attempted to catch up to her while also not tripping down the stone steps, "That's not what I- that came out wrong. Olivia wait a sec."

When the two reached the bottom, Olivia let out a sigh and turned around to face him, folding her arms as her silence signaled him to speak his mind. Lukas felt some relief in this, so far Olivia proved to be the more sensible person in the group, next to Jesse. He wondered if he would even be having this conversation if Jesse had decided to go find Ellegaard and left him with Axel. Still, Lukas noticed the frowns and looks of frustration on Olivia's face ever since the two started working on making the temple more fortified. Jesse's decision was bothering her, it didn't take a genius to figure that out, but she hadn't spoken a word about it until just a few moments ago.

"Look, I don't think you're wrong. Having Ellegaard to help us would be good," Lukas began, "but you can't just go off by yourself like this. It's too risky!"

"If you're that worried, then why not come with me?" She replied, her arms dropping to her sides as she resumed walking towards the hallway they'd entered from.

"Because I told Jesse I would stay here and get this place ready for nightfall," He sharply retorted, walking next to her, "and so did you. What do you think is gonna happen if she and Axel come back here and we're nowhere to be seen?"

"I know, I know!" Olivia groaned, her hands gripped into fists for a moment before she sighed and allowed the tension to ease away. Much more calmly, she said, "Okay, you're right, someone has to stay here. You should. The temple's already pretty safe now, but someone needs to be here in case Petra finds us. But I can't stay here and just wait for them to bring back Magnus. We _need_ Ellegaard, Lukas. Someone has to do that too."

The young builder frowned, "You shouldn't have to go alone. I know it's hard, but maybe once Jesse and Axel get back _then_ we can head to wherever Ellegaard is."

"Redstonia. And we don't exactly have that luxury of time on our side, not with that Wither Storm still out there," Olivia glanced downwards, her voice growing lower, "we don't even know how long it'll be before that thing finds us here."

A silence brewed up once more. For the past few hours as the two worked on the temple's defenses, the large shadow of the Wither Storm in the distance turned the sky darker as if it were a horrifying eclipse. The darkness in mid-daytime certainly kept the unnerving dread in the air present. While they tried to ignore it as they worked, the storm only seemed to get bigger every time either one of them glanced at it. The monstrosity's growls and screeches echoed across the view, sounding more grim than an approaching thunderstorm. Thankfully it didn't appear to be moving in the direction of the temple, but as Olivia said, who knew how long that would last?

And there was still no sign of Petra…

"I'll go through the Nether, if the Order built those tracks there's probably a way to Redstonia. That way I can avoid the Wither Storm," Olivia attempted to reassure him, breaking the quiet.

"You'll be safe from the Wither Storm, sure, but it's still the Nether. We barely survived that place as a group," Lukas said, keeping an eye on the floor as to avoid the pressure plates that set off the arrow dispensers from before. One step around the plate caused him to stumble slightly.

Olivia looked down at his odd foot movement before telling him, "You don't need to do that. I found the wiring for this hallway and adjusted it. The pressure plates won't set the arrows off anymore, now they only turn on if you pull a lever back in the library."

"Really? Well that's a relief, thanks," Lukas said. "You're uh, pretty good with redstone, I see."

She shrugged, "I mean, I'm alright with it."

Lukas ran a hand through his hair, looking up to see the iron door they'd set up at the entrance growing closer. He looked at Olivia again, who kept her eyes looking down at the floor. The blond took a deep breath and sighed, stopping at the door.

"Look, I can't stop you. If you think this is the right move, go for it," He raised his hand to grab the lever next to the door. With a small grunt, he pulled it down, causing the iron door to swing open, letting sunlight flood into the dim room.

"Thanks Lukas," Olivia looked up and gave him a small smile, the first one either of them had seen for a few hours, "and if it makes you feel better, I promise I'll come right back if it gets too intense."

Lukas returned the smile and nodded. Though it quickly dropped back into a look of worry as Olivia walked outside. The young engineer paused as she stood in the grass, raising a hand to shield her eyes from the light.

"Is it just me or," She turned around and looked back at Lukas still in the doorway, "did it get brighter out here?"

Lukas rose an eyebrow and stepped outside, following Olivia as the two climbed up the hill, passing by the makeshift treehouse shelter from the night before, and caught a glimpse of the distance ahead. No longer was the sun hidden behind a mass of monster and flying blocks being tossed up by tentacles. The Wither Storm appeared to have shifted its direction and was slowly sliding across the horizon.

"It's moving," Lukas muttered, "but where's it going?"

Olivia shook her head, "As long as it's not here, I don't want to know."

The two exchanged wide-eyed looks before moving back down the hill. At the foot was where the two would split up. Olivia walking towards the nearby Nether portal, and Lukas back towards the temple.

"Hey Lukas," Olivia called out, making Lukas stop and look over his shoulder, "get the place nice for Petra!"

He couldn't help but let out a laugh and gave her a thumbs up, "I will! Be careful, okay?"

Olivia nodded and gave him a wave as she walked forward and disappeared into the purple light of the Nether portal. Lukas stood still for a moment, watching the light tremble before stabilizing itself. A faint echo of the Wither Storm caught his ear and snapped him back into action. He quickly ran back inside the temple, shutting the iron door behind him. The young man stuffed his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket and began heading back to the staircase.

"It'll be fine," He said to himself in a low voice, "it's gonna be fine."

He wondered how long he could try to lie to himself.

Lukas paused in his walking, shutting his eyes and releasing a long breath. He didn't know what forces ran the world or decided fate, but whatever or whoever did, he asked them to let at least one person come back. At least one. Jesse, Axel, Olivia, Petra, Reuben, Aiden, Maya, Gill, or heck, even Gabriel. Just let him have someone come back. Just so he could feel some relief.

Just so he wouldn't have to do this alone.


	7. Stargazing (MCSM Countdown Day 8)

After days of trying to get the bare minimum of sleep that was possible in between portals, Jesse thought a bed would be a blessing. And true, the soft mattress and warm blanket in the dormitories was a step up from the cold stone floor of the hallway, especially for her still sore back. Give Hadrian the smallest, most microscopic bit of credit that was even remotely possible to find, at least he'd given the prisoners still full of false hope something nice to sleep on. But she still couldn't make herself fall asleep that easily.

Jesse turned over on her side, allowing her to catch a glimpse of her friends in the remaining beds nearby. All of them were fast asleep. Harper and Petra both lied on their backs, the ladder having tossed her bandana onto the floor. Lukas slept on his side, his blond hair a complete mess with frizz and out of place strands, probably from it being under his goggles for so long. Ivor appeared to have shifted sideways and kicked the covers off in his sleep, and his snoring filled the otherwise silent room. The fact that neither Petra or Lukas hadn't woken up from it only proved how exhausted they were. Jesse didn't blame them. She'd never felt so tired in her life.

The room they were in belonged to the former red team, according to Harper. The same team she had unintentionally eliminated from the games entirely during Spleef. Before the group went to sleep their first night here, they'd looked around the room. Jesse had felt a small painful sting in her chest when she'd uncovered some belongings left behind by the team, including an unfinished book, a couple of dandelions, and a cookie that someone on the team must've been saving. Judging from what she's seen so far in this place, the Gladiators most likely shoved them all into the mines before even bothering to clean out the dorm.

Jesse looked over to Lukas again, something popping up in her memory. Right. Still had to find a way to get his journal back from Slab…

She turned over to the other side in the bed, her face now looking out a nearby window. A light snowfall was just ending. Some snowflakes were still stuck to the glass window before melting into water drops. Her drowsy eyes drifted to the Nether portal where Facemeat stood guard the other day. She felt her hand grip a corner of the pillow, as a voice in her head hissed a chilling reminder.

 _You mess up tomorrow, and that's where you're all getting thrown in._

The answer to this insomnia became clear. It wasn't where she was sleeping. It was where other people were sleeping. Here she was in a warm building, tucked into a bed, and at the same time, her two best friends (and one unlucky bystander who happened to share the same name as someone she missed) were crammed in obsidian cages. Also at the same time, more people were stuck in the quartz mines. The Nether in her world was risky to just travel in, and from Lukas and Ivor's descriptions, the Nether here was just as bad, if not worst. She shuddered at the thought that the miners might actually be forced to sleep in that inferno. Especially if that old urban legend about beds exploding in the Nether was true…

Jesse sat up and quietly let out a sigh, hugging her legs close to her. The slim hope that her speech encouraged the other competitors to rise up tomorrow wasn't bright enough to put her thoughts to rest. She frowned and placed her palm against her forehead.

 _Oh sure, let's tell them all that their idol who keeps them going is a fake. Nice job, idiot._

There were times where Jesse wanted to tell herself to shut up. This was one of them.

Deciding that some fresh air was her only chance of clearing her head enough to fall asleep, she stood up from the bed. Jesse tiptoed across the carpeted floor of the dorm room to the door. She slipped out into the dimly lit hallway, slowly as possible as to not wake up her friends, and closed the door behind her.

* * *

Jesse found herself on the third-floor balcony of the building. It was the highest one and gave her a decent view. The snowfall before had ceased, and the night sky was once again clear of clouds. She exhaled and watched the cloud of her breath dance around in the air as she rested her arms on the railing.

From the spot, she could see two of the Gladiators on patrol below. Although the two seemed far too immersed in a game of rock-shears-paper to notice her watching them. She glanced up ahead at the snowy landscape outside the walls of the Competitors' Village. Seemingly it appeared to be completely untouched by any building, with the tall snow-covered pine trees, a crystal waterfall flowing into a frozen river, and a polar bear resting on a hilltop with her cub snuggled up next to her. Jesse couldn't help but find it nice to look at, snow biomes were rare and far to travel to back home, if she wasn't in the current predicament, she probably would've wanted to explore it a little more.

"Sup?"

The sudden voice in the quiet night caused Jesse to jump up slightly. To her surprise, it hadn't come from behind her, but rather _above_ her. She leaned back slightly to meet two blue eyes and blonde strands of beaded hair staring down at her from the rooftop, "Nell?"

"Jesse, dude!" She whispered excitedly, "Why didn't you tell me you were a night owl? I would've invited you up here, like, way sooner!"

Jesse raised an eyebrow, "What are you doing up there?"

"Stargazing," Nell extended out her hand, "wanna join the party?"

Jesse took a quick look back down, the two Gladiators now squabbling with each other about the other cheating in their round, and then back up at Nell, accepting the offered hand, "Sure."

She climbed up the side, Nell now using both of her hands to pull her up. Jesse planted her feet firmly on the rooftop with a small _oomph_ , as Nell released her and brushed off some snow next to an already clear patch. She looked up at Jesse with a grin and patted the empty spot next to her before lying flat on her back. Jesse moved to the spot, awkwardly trying to lie down in a comfortable position. The clear sky now full of stars, Jesse stared up.

"Don't you get cold up here?" She asked Nell, whose eyes were glued on the sky.

The girl gave a shrug, "Meh, not really. These team uniforms are super toasty."

Before Jesse could respond, Nell's eyes lit up. She nudged Jesse's arm and pointed upwards, "Check it out! My favorite one's out tonight, Major Shovel!"

Jesse blinked, trying to connect the dots of the group of stars Nell pointed to. No matter which angle she tried, they didn't seem to make a shovel, "I uh…didn't know there was a constellation named that."

"Oh well, I guess it's not like an official one. I don't actually really know the constellations that good, so I make up my own," Nell explained. She directed Jesse back to the sky, her finger moving from spot to spot, "Okay, okay, so that's Major Shovel, the Big Beetroot, Enderman Minor, the two crossed bones…"

She trailed on and on with different names. Jesse gave up trying to see the images in the sky, but smiled and nodded as Nell continued. The friendly green team member's lighthearted antics were relieving in this environment. Just for a moment, Jesse could keep her mind off of everything weighing on her. At least until a realization entered her head. With all these constellations, made up or real, Nell remembered them all. Which just begged the question; how long _had_ Nell been here?

"Oh," Nell's voice perked up, her finger stopping at a small cluster of stars, "I haven't named that one yet." She turned her attention back to Jesse, "You wanna give it a shot, brah?"

Jesse tilted her head up, "You want me to name it?"

"Yeah! You're like, the first person who actually wanted to do this with me," Nell explained. "Em and the others usually just tell me to go back to bed. I _did_ get Herzog up here one time, but the dude fell asleep after five minutes."

"Hey uh," Jesse began, a look of uneasiness forming, "speaking of Em, how are things between you two? I mean, you know, after what happened in the race. Are you guys okay?"

Nell's smile dropped, her gaze shifting away from the girl next to her and moving to stare at a nearby pile of snow, "Uh, yeah, I mean we're not exactly cool with that thing she did, but like, I'm not really that mad. Don't tell her I told you this, but I think Em's more bummed about it than me," Nell paused to let out an uncomfortable chuckle. "And I'm the one who almost fell into _lava_. So that's saying something, I think."

"Yeah?" was all Jesse could muster.

"Yeah," Nell said with a nod, her voice became quieter, "Em's not a bad dude, Jesse. She's just, like what's a good word? Tired, I guess. Majorly tired. She's been here way longer than I have. And, don't tell her I told you this either, I think there's some bad blood with her and the Gladiators. They're big jerks to everyone here, but Em, man do they like to pick on her."

Jesse recalled the race just a few hours ago. Now that she thought about it, the Old Builders sure used that "Former Gladiator" title a lot. She didn't doubt that Em could've qualified to be a Gladiator, seeing how the girl had been a powerhouse back in the few minutes she was Jesse's "ally" during the race. But why in the world would Hadrian reduce someone that strong to a competitor? Or, now that Jesse was fully aware of how low the creeper-in-a-purple-suit would stoop, maybe the better question was; what did Em do that made him angry enough to make him want to do it?

Nell continued, "I think I just sorta figured that Em needs a friend. Someone's who not gonna leave her. So I'll be that brah to her." Her blue eyes darted to the side as she quickly added, "Even if she _does_ dunk me off a wall to my doom. Like I said before, I want to help people."

A minute of pure silence came. Jesse couldn't stop looking at Nell, who now tried to distract herself with the starry sky once more. She couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something in Nell that struck a chord in Jesse. She could've easily held a grudge against Jesse for the hostility she'd shown after thinking Lukas and Ivor were dead. Instead, she'd apologized and generously given Jesse access to her wheat stash. Perhaps, beneath the lax nature and strangeness, was a person who had the simple yet pure motivation of helping others just because it was the right thing to do. In an odd way, Nell felt like the girl that Jesse used to be. The girl that Jesse wished she could be again.

Looking back up the sky, Jesse raised her arm. She used her pointer finger to play connect the dots with the star cluster, finally making a shape out of it. After using her free hand to tap Nell on the shoulder, Jesse smiled and said, "That constellation right there? Let's call it: the Mighty Pickaxe."

The cheeriness returned to Nell's expression as she glanced up, "I like it! Righteous, brah."

Slowly the young leader sat up, moving to get up, "Well, I think I'm going to try and head back to bed. Thanks for everything, Nell."

"Sure thing, dude. Tomorrow, we're all so gonna be like Tim- wait, not real, right. We'll be like…like…uh…" The blonde tapped her chin as she trailed off.

Jesse got back on her feet, "Look, I'll be like me tomorrow, and you be like Nell tomorrow. Do that and I'll know we're going to win."

"Kinda weirdly-worded, but sounds good," Nell gave her a wave. "Night Jess."

The ravenette returned the wave as she walked back to the edge of the roof. Before climbing back down onto the balcony, Jesse caught one last glance of Hadrian's Palace, peering over the village like an eye built into the cliff. Her brows furrowed, knowing that he was lounging around while her two friends sat behind obsidian. She could picture the arrogant smirk he probably had right now, expecting Jesse to throw the match tomorrow so he could return to pulling the strings of this nightmare he called a game. She would prove him wrong. _Oh so wrong._ Jesse was no Tim. She was no Nell either. But she was Jesse, no matter what. And Jesse never goes down without a fight.


	8. Revisions (Lukas and Jesse)

_Local legends in the neighboring towns told of a rare treasure. A small golden totem with emerald eyes that when used, could save one from the clutches of death itself. Rumors of its location were varied, some said it was buried beneath an icy lake far out in the snow biome. Others claimed that it would be hidden in the farthest reaches of the jungle. The most frequent rumor was the totem being locked away in a ruined fortress in the Nether, guarded by a fearsome foe.  
_

 _The Nether is home to all sorts of monsters, from zombie pigmen to ghasts to wither skeletons. But the Order of the Stone had traversed the caverns of Netherrack many times, and were no strangers to the dangerous inferno._

 _Riding along the tracks built by the previous Order of the Stone, our heroes finally spotted the fortress. As expected, the broken Nether brick bridges and narrow halls were crawling with mobs. Every corner the group turned was another obstacle blocking their path. But with their weapons at hand, the six of them charged forward. Jesse and Petra taking the first strike, the two warriors stood back to back as the monsters met their end at the blades of their swords. Axel moved in next, a trio of zombie pigmen were no match for the griefer's brute strength. Ivor and Lukas served as the team's defensive force, the former well equipped with splash potions of all varieties, and the ladder keeping back the lucky few monsters that managed to escape the others with his bow and arrow. And for the monsters that were waiting in the shadows to sneak up and ambush the group? Well, they met their fates at the hands of Olivia's instant arrow dispenser machine._

 _With the path clear, the final chamber awaited the Order of the Stone. Slowly they approached the center of the room, a treasure chest sitting on a pedestal. Of course, that would be too easy. All adventurers know that a treasure chest so easily spottable will be protected by a powerful force._

 _This powerful force came in the shape of a Blaze. But this one was no ordinary Blaze, not only was it larger than any one the group had seen before, but the flames on the rods circling around the monster were flaring higher and brighter. Smoke billowed off the creature and flooded the room. This would be the final foe on this…_

 _On this…_

Lukas paused in his narration, keeping the open book secured in one hand while using the other to cover his mouth as a yawn escaped. He blinked a few times, trying to get rid of the pesky heaviness on his eyelids, before glancing at Jesse, who was walking right beside him on their stroll through the forest path.

"Sorry," He said with a grin, lowering his hand, "snuck up on me."

"I noticed," She chuckled, resting her arms behind her back, "Oof, I remember that fight. I think I still have the mark on my shoulder."

"Remember what we found in the chest after?" Lukas asked, trying his best to hold back a laugh as the memory replayed.

Jesse nodded, snickering, "You mean the giant pile of lapis? I swear Petra was ready to snap that thing in half-,"

"-And Ivor just backed away from her as fast as he could," He finished before the two finally burst into a fit of laughter.

Once he caught his breath again, Lukas took a quick look forward. Up ahead was the wooden bridge over a flowing stream, marking the end of the forested area where the stone roads would begin. Soon Beacontown would only be a few miles away. Well, it would be just enough time to finish the chapter at least. As Jesse's last few giggles were coming to an end, Lukas skimmed down the page, finding the spot where he'd left off.

 _This would be the final foe on this expedition._

 _The Blaze wasted no time with its attack. Swiftly it darted across the chamber, fireballs spewing from every part of its body. Everyone quickly jumped from spot to spot, as any place they were once standing soon became a hole in the wall or a blast mark on the floor. Using the water bottles Ivor brough was futile, as the water evaporated in the hot air the moment the alchemist unscrewed the cork._

"Uh, Lukas?"

 _It appeared the Order of Stone would have to rely solely on their own strength and resources. Jesse recalled a technique she learned long ago during a battle with ghasts. She suggested using their sword to reflect-_

"Lukas!"

Reality snapped back into focus. That was weird. Why did Jesse suddenly shout like that? And why was she grabbing his arm so tightly?

But the sounds of running water and a look downwards answered his questions. Just a few inches under the tip of his boot, was the stream. A jolt ran through him, immediately he took a couple steps back, the wide-eyed Jesse letting go of him as he did.

"Oh, oh wow. That was close," Lukas breathed out, smacking a hand to his forehead.

"No kidding," Jesse muttered after a sigh of relief. Though it quickly faded from her expression, becoming a much more concerned stare. "Are you okay, dude? You seem kind of…out of it, today."

It wasn't an exaggeration to say that writing had become a large part of Lukas' life, and for good reason. The ability to bring their adventures to life with a quill in hand and words on a page was a fulfilling one. The success of his first actual published book was overwhelming, and it felt…what was a good word for it? Important. To say the least. Of course, with anything good, there came downsides. Even Lukas had to admit that he'd been getting distracted more often. He couldn't help it much, once the quill was moving or his voice narrating, the world around him seemed to disappear. It wasn't doing any favors for the growing cobwebs in his house. But hey, a small price to pay for a new passion, right?

Unfortunately, today seemed to have taken this bad habit and cranked it up to the highest level. That embarrassment just a second ago wasn't the first time Jesse needed to bring him back to the real world before he hurt himself on their walk. Already, Lukas walked face first into a tree branch sticking out, tripped over a log, and nearly gotten his foot stuck in a crack on the path. Twice.

"I'm alright," He attempted to assure her, "just a little tired, that's all."

Although this didn't appear to ease Jesse's worry in the slightest, folding her arms as she said, "Exhausted seems like a better word. How much sleep did you get last night?"

"A couple hours," Lukas answered. Technically it wasn't a lie. He must've gotten at least two hours in, seeing how it was dark when he fell asleep and sunrise when he woke up.

…And sure, he woke up still at his desk, but that's better than no sleep at all.

Jesse raised an eyebrow, the new sternness in her look causing Lukas to add in, "Okay, maybe I was up a little later than normal. I was finishing up the chapter and I guess I lost track of time."

"Does this happen a lot?" Jesse asked warily.

"Not every night," Lukas shook his head. Things went quiet for a moment, and he broke the silence with, "I'm fine, Jesse, really."

"You say that but," Lowering her shoulders, Jesse began fiddling her fingers, "I dunno, maybe you could give yourself a certain time where you stop for the day? Or take a day off in between? Or maybe-,"

Lukas quickly cut her off, "It doesn't work like that, Jesse. I need to get this done, and that means I need to write whenever I get the chance."

"I get that, but you need to rest too," Jesse argued, "overworking yourself like this isn't healthy. Dangerous, even. Next time it might not be a stream, it could be a creeper or a cliff, and I'm not always going to be around to warn you."

"Jesse, I can handle myself," He said, closing his book and tucking it under his arm, "You've already got enough on your plate, there's no need to worry about something small like this."

At this statement, Jesse's eyes went wide, almost appearing to be stunned. Before Lukas could figure out a better way to say his point, she already walked over and firmly placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Lukas," Jesse began, "no matter how busy I get, I'm always going to worry about you. You're my friend. If it involves you, then it'll never be 'something small.'"

She released his shoulder, but kept her eyes locked on him, continuing in a much softer tone, "I know your writing is important to you, and I'm proud that you've made it this far. You're an amazing author. But please, don't forget to take care of yourself. Get some rest, at least."

Now it was Lukas' turn to go quiet. Normally this conversation would go on for way longer. And knowing both of them with their stubbornness, it could've spiraled into an argument. But today, either from just how tired he was or that look in Jesse's eyes, he decided to lower the shields.

"Alright, you win," Lukas sighed before meet her eyes again with a small smile, "I guess I can try and get to sleep earlier."

The grin returned to Jesse's expression as well, "Thanks."

The two returned to their walk, heading over the wooden bridge. The number of trees began to lessen, letting the walls and colorful builds of Beacontown appear in the distance.

A smirk grew on Lukas' face as a new memory resurfaced, glancing back at Jesse, he said, "Hey, I feel like we've had this conversation before. Except I was saying what you said and _you_ were the one crashing into everything."

Jesse chuckled, "Duh, where do you think I got my lecturing skills from?"

With another batch of the laughter, the duo kept moving forward. Maybe their lives nowadays weren't as exciting or dangerous as the stories in Lukas' books. But like those stories, they were real, and no matter what, they were in this together.

That was fine with him.


	9. Conversation Starters

When Ivor met Jesse on the night of Endercon, he thought very little of her. Just some over-confident child who was in way over her head. Afterwards, when that same girl kept popping up to get in the way, from snooping around in his hidden lair to giving him a swift punch in the Nether to the duel in Soren's fortress, she became a pest, a thorn in his side just like everyone else.

Then that same pest became the world's last hope.

Then their hero.

And now, Jesse was the person he owed the most to.

There were the obvious reasons for this, after all, who didn't owe their life to the person that was brave enough to take down the command block? But in his case, there was more. For one thing, she'd also given him a place to stay. People weren't happy to have Ivor around, it didn't take a genius to figure that out. So as one may expect, finding an area to live that wasn't out in the middle of nowhere proved difficult. The day that Ivor was just about ready to give up and surrender to a new isolated life was the same day Jesse offered him one of the extra bedrooms in the newly completed Order Hall.

" _Just until you have enough materials to make your own place, sound good?" She'd told him, pointing towards the spare bedroom._

Why? Ivor himself couldn't come up with a good reason. They weren't friends of any kind. And why would they be? They hardly ever made conversation with each other after the Wither Storm's defeat, only really talking to each other when it came to matters regarding the slowly budding town being built (that ridiculous debate on what to name it was still going, people were stuck between Stonesville and Beacontown) or the occasional awkward small talk Jesse would attempt to make. It would be ludicrous of him to ever think Jesse thought of him as a friend.

And yet, it seemed that she didn't consider Ivor an enemy either. Or if she did, she was very good at hiding it. Never once since he settled in had Ivor spotted a scowl from her in his direction or accidentally eavesdropped on a conversation where she brought his name up with unpleasant words, things he'd grown used to living here with the rest of the new residents. But when it came to Jesse, Ivor was just…there. And she acknowledged that. That was it.

It didn't make sense one bit. Ivor tried thinking from every angle possible, but no answer would solve this puzzle. Because, really, of all people, Jesse should've hated him the most. But she didn't.

Why?

Recently the group of four heroes had decided to start going adventures of their own, more often than not looking for treasure. Ivor had almost gotten used to the quiet Order Hall until Jesse, Axel, Olivia, and Petra returned to town after a three day trip, empty handed treasure-wise, but full of stories to tell about the journey at the dinner table. Soon after the meal, the group decided to turn in for the night, save for Jesse, who was still finishing the last pieces of her baked potato, and Ivor, whose nose had been stuck in a book since the afternoon.

Unfortunately, he made the mistake of glancing up from the pages, causing direct eye-contact between Ivor and the young leader sitting across from him, still poking at what remained of her food with a fork. Too late to dart his eyes back to the novel and pretend it didn't happen, the young leader was already staring at him, the uncomfortable silence filling the air. How odd. Normally it would be Jesse who'd start off the strained small talk that would lead to nowhere. But tonight, she was silent, almost as if she was expecting him to say something.

And he does, shocking himself and her.

"So, Jesse," He began with a pause, "what's your favorite color?"

If Ivor hadn't been holding that old copy of _How to Train Your Slime: Volume 2_ in his hands, he might've slapped himself on the forehead for the asinine conversation starter.

Jesse blinked and glanced to the side before answering, "Uh, I guess pink's cool. I like pink."

"Ah, that's…nice," Ivor muttered, cursing himself internally. Perhaps now would've been the time to slowly raise the book higher as to end the pathetic excuse for a friendly chat right there.

That is, until Jesse continued with, "What's yours?"

He looked up again, eyes wide with surprise. He cleared his throat to try and shake it off, "I'm fond of blue, myself. Dark blue."

"Neat," She replied plainly before the quiet brewed up once more. Jesse placed her fork aside, her fingers tapping on the table as it now fell on her to come up with something to keep the conversation alive, "So, how's the material gathering going? For your house, I mean."

"It's going fine, I've gathered enough stone for the framework, and I have a basic idea of what the shape shall be," Ivor said, muttering on the side, "Shame the blonde guy took off, I had hoped he could look over the blueprints."

"Do you know where you're going to put it?"

At that question, Ivor paused, unable to tell whether it was another attempt at stretching out the talk or a subtle way of requesting he disappear soon. He shouldn't be surprised if it's the latter. Really, a part of him knew this day would come. It would be fine. Ivor's been alone for years, what's a few more stacked on top going to do, drive him mad? Please. Most people would say it was far too late for that.

"Because, you know," Jesse piped up, breaking his thoughts, "there's an empty space right near the Order Hall's entrance. I could reserve it for you."

Ivor went still, the words said feeling unreal, "Really?"

She gave a shrug, "Yeah, I mean, I figured you want to stay nearby, right? And nobody's claimed it yet, so…yeah. All yours if you want it."

"I see, then," Ivor moved his head downwards, acting as if his attention was being returned to the book, "I suppose I'll take it."

"Alright," he heard her say, "I'll mark it down first thing tomorrow."

The final pause of the night rose up before Ivor said in the smallest tone he'd ever heard his voice in, "Thank you, Jesse."

"Mhm."

Against his better judgement, Ivor glanced up from the book again. Luckily for him, this time Jesse returned to her food, moving the potato chunks around in a circular motion with her fork, as if the conversation never occurred.

What a strange person.

Maybe it was begrudged pity that drove her. That seemed logical, right? Ivor could accept that.

…For now, at least.


	10. Snowflakes (Christmas Countdown Day 2)

"Are your eyes still closed?"

Binta smiled, feeling his large, warm hand wrapped around hers as he guided her along. The world was dark with her eyes shut, but for some reason, she could picture the nervous look on his face.

"Fred, for the last time, _yes_ ," she laughed, "don't you trust me?"

She heard him chuckle softly, "Of course I do, sorry. I just don't want the surprise to be spoiled."

"Your surprises are the best kind, I wouldn't dare," Binta assured him.

"That's good. Oh! We're here," Fred's voice rose in excitement. "Alright, keep your eyes closed, I just need one second."

She paused in her walking when she heard his footsteps come to a halt. She felt his hand release hers. Suddenly, the air surrounding them became colder, Binta couldn't help but shiver slightly as she hugged herself in an attempt to warm up.

"Okay, you can look now," He whispered to her.

Binta opened her eyes, slowly as to let them get adjusted to the light, but to her surprise, the sun didn't seem as bright as normal. In fact, she couldn't even find it in the sky. Instead, the sky was covered by grey clouds, looking ready to release raindrops. However, it wasn't raindrops that fell from the sky. Pieces of what looked somewhat like white wool were drifting downwards, some of them almost looked like they were twirling in the air. She held out her hand, letting one of the pieces fall into her open palm. She only had seconds to stare at it before it melted into a tiny drop of water.

Binta looked back up at the sky, watching more and more of the stuff come down, "Woah. What is it?"

"Do you like it? The others and I made it the other day," Fred explained as he walked over so that he stood next to her. "It's called snow."

He pointed to the strange falling pieces of white, "And these? They're called snowflakes. Each one is different, no two alike."

Binta smiled, "Beautiful."

She glanced down, noticing that the grass beneath her feet had been replaced with a white surface. She moved her foot slightly, hearing this "snow" thing crunch beneath her boots.

"Romeo came up with some fun stuff to do with it," Fred continued. He moved a few inches ahead of her, before randomly falling backwards, flat on his back. Before Binta could even ask what was happening, Fred began moving his arms up and down, while his legs moved from side to side.

"What are you doing?" Binta asked with a snicker.

He looked up at her with a big grin, "I'm making a snow angel. Come on, try it!"

Binta rolled her eyes, but turned around and fell backwards next to him. The snow was much more cold and wet on her back than she expected. Nonetheless, she began moving her arms and legs in the same fashion as he did. It felt absolutely ridiculous, and Binta made sure to give Fred more than a few silly looks in his direction. He could only smile back at her, his blue cheeks gaining a small shade of pink. Whether it was from the cold or the pure joy, Binta didn't know, though she felt her own cheeks warm up as she let out a bout of giggles.

After a few minutes, the two stood back up. Binta looked over her shoulder at the two shapes they'd left on the snow, returning another grin to Fred.

"What do you think?" Fred asked, brushing off chunks of snow caught in his hair. "Waffles wasn't too fond of it, poor little guy flew off the moment his feet touched the stuff."

Binta placed her hands at her hips, taking another look around at the snow-covered area, "I like it. Although, it might mess up some of the crops."

Fred nodded, "I agree. I figured we should save it for special occasions."

"Still," Binta sighed, watching her breath turn into a cloud, "it's gorgeous."

He beamed at the view in front of them, before letting out another small chuckle, "Romeo made up another game for this snow. He scooped it into little spheres and started throwing them at Xara and me. I...wasn't too fond of that one."

"Is that so?" Binta said, a mischievous smirk curving her lips. She carefully bent down, scooping a pile of the snow into a ball, and rose it up. By the time Fred realized his mistake, it was too late. She had already reeled back her hand and tossed the snowball right at him, "Heads up!"

His eyes went wide, "Binta no- Oof!"

The snowball shattered upon impact to his shoulder, making him stumble back slightly. Binta laughed, watching as his face went from flustered to a competitive smile of his own.

"Oh, you're gonna get it now," Fred taunted. "C'mere you!"

She released a squeal of joy as she turned and took off running, Fred keeping up behind. Their laughter filled the cold air, despite the snow making them both slower. Binta took one more look over her shoulder, her pupils shrinking when she saw he had vanished behind her. When she turned her head forward again, there he was, his arms wide open.

"Oh no-!" She squealed as Fred trapped her with a hug and lifted her up.

He giggled, "Gotcha."

"No fair," Binta rested her arms on his shoulders, "you teleported. That's definitely cheating."

"All's fair in love and war," He playfully declared.

His eyes then went soft, as did her own. Fred pulled her slightly closer, the two pressing their lips together. He pulled away, placing Binta back on the snowy ground.

"I love you," He whispered, bowing his head downwards so that their foreheads were touching.

Binta closed her eyes, smiling.

"I love you too."

* * *

Binta hugged herself, her body shivering. There was no wind down here anymore, but the cold was still there. Binta looked up, the miles of bedrock above keeping the eternal darkness in place.

She missed the sky.

She missed him.

So much.

It was so cold.


	11. Nightmares (Lukas and Jesse)

The only noise Jesse could hear was the howling wind. Harsh gusts slammed into her from every direction, but she kept moving forward. Well, it was less of moving forward than trudging forward. She hugged her arms to herself in an attempt to keep her shivering body warm. Any hint of light she could find quickly dimmed in a matter of seconds, her eyes locked only on the darkness that lied ahead. Jesse didn't know where she was going. But anywhere except here seemed better. However, where "here" was, she had no idea.

Keep walking.

Don't look back.

The same two thoughts chanted repeatedly in her head, over and over, the only things keeping her going in this awful place.

Her endless fight through the vicious winds came to a halt when she felt the ground disappear at the tips of her feet. She froze to the spot, seeing the bottomless void just a few inches away, her whole body ached from the shivers constantly running down her back. She couldn't take another step further, but she couldn't turn back either. Stuck. Frozen. Trapped.

And that's when they appeared.

Eyes. Thousands of them sprouting in the sky that was once pitch black. All of them were glowing with a faint purple hue, and all of them were staring at the same exact spot: her. The sound of the wind grew into a guttural growl. It filled the air, and Jesse's breath shook. Her wide eyes drifted back up to the eyes above her. Then, from the darkness, for every pair of eyes, a pair of long arms stretched outwards. They reached as far as it was possible, clawing at the air desperately.

 _Help me._

 _Help._

 _Save me._

Voices clashed with the wind and growls. Some of the voices she knew hauntingly too well, others were strangers, but nonetheless they all cried out.

 _Please help me._

 _Someone, someone._

 _It hurts. It hurts. It hurts._

 _Help me please._

They whispered at first, before getting louder and louder into screeches. Hysterical sobs and screams of agony mixed with all the words.

 _Jesse._

 _Jesse._

 _Jesse._

 _Help._

She wanted to shout back, to reach out and pull them out of the dark. She could do it. She could! At least one, she could save at least one. So why, why wasn't she moving? Why were they so far away from her?

 _Help. Help._

 _Save me, please._

 _I'm scared._

 _Help._

 _Help me._

Suddenly, all chaos broke loose. The voices all joined into a unison cry, the sound of the ground tearing itself apart roared in her ears. Jesse shakily forced herself to turn around. A large shape had broken through the darkness, with a singular giant purple light for an eye. It shined a tractor beam down onto Jesse, acting like a taunting spotlight. She felt herself being torn away from the ground as she lifted higher into the air. The guttural growl came again, as Jesse thrashed about in the tractor beam's light.

 _Jesse._

 _Jesse._

 _Please._

 _Help._

 _What are you doing?_

 _Help._

 _Help._

 _Help._

 _Why aren't you fighting?_

 _Save me._

 _Save me._

 _Save me._

She only floated closer to the monster before her. Sharp fangs emerged, a mouth opening wider as she went higher, ready to chomp down on its approaching prey.

 _Why?_

 _Help._

 _Why?_

 _Help._

 _Help._

 _Help._

 _Help._

Jesse slammed her eyes shut, hoping it would be fast.

 _Help._

 _Help._

 _Help._

 _No._

 _No._

 _No._

 _No. It was silly._

 _No._

 _Help._

 _Help._

 _No._

 _It was silly to think that you could do a thing right._

The fangs came down.

* * *

By the time Jesse realized she was screaming out loud, she was already sitting up in her bed. She slammed a hand over her mouth, panting heavily, her free hand clenched the edge of her blanket tightly, begging whatever forces ran the world that nobody had heard her.

With her flat palm still over her mouth, she took a slow look around her room, spotting her window. It was dark outside the glass panes, although the full moon out that night provided a dim light so that the world was still visible. It was silent, but it was real.

Just a nightmare.

Jesse lowered her hand and pulled her legs to her chest, resting her forehead on her knees. A painful lump began to form in her throat. She swallowed to keep it down, but it only grew more when Jesse heard a sound that filled her with dread. Footsteps were thudding down the hallway. As soon as they stopped, a knock on her door followed.

"Jesse?" a familiar muffled voice came through the wood.

With a quiet sigh, Jesse sat up straight once more, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and resting her hands in her lap. She took a glance back at the door before fighting against the lump in her throat again to muster out a decent, "Hey, you can come in."

The door was open the moment she said those words. Lukas wasted no time getting inside the room, his usually well groomed blond hair now just a tangled mess of bedhead and his eyes wide with concern, "You alright? I heard you scream. Is everything-,"

"I'm okay," She quickly cut him off. She attempted to give him a smile to reassure him, but to no avail, "Sorry if I woke you up."

He shook his head, "No, it's fine, but- Geez, Jesse, you're shaking. What happened?"

"Nothing, really. It was just…a bad dream. That's all," She leaned against the bed frame, hoping to keep her trembling body still, folding her arms. "Really, you can go back to bed. I'm…"

Jesse trailed off. The lump in her throat was choking up her voice. She tried to gather up more words, but only croaks came out that eventually broke into small sobs. Tears welled up in her eyes before trickling down her cheeks. She quickly turned to the side and furiously wiped at her wet eyes with the sleeve of her pajama shirt. Even if she knew by now it would be futile to hide just how much of a mess she was, Jesse was a fighter in all regards. However, this was a battle she was destined to lose every time.

"Sorry, it's so dumb, I know," she muttered, "I know they're not real, but I just- I can't-,"

Luckily, Lukas was a merciful opponent.

"Hey, hey," He said in a soft voice, slowly moving over to sit down next to her on the bed, "it's okay. It's okay. Let it out."

Jesse looked up at him with her now puffy red eyes. The gentle smile she saw on his face serving as a warm invitation. She scooted closer to him, letting him wrap his arm around her shoulders and pull her closer into a kind embrace. Soon enough, Jesse found herself wrapping her arms around his back and resting her head into his chest, letting the remaining sobs escape her.

"You're okay," Lukas soothed, "you're safe. I promise."

Without looking up, and the pain in her throat vanishing, Jesse whispered, "Can you...can you stay for a bit? N-Not the whole night, just, just for a bit."

"'Course," she heard him say, "I'm not going anywhere."

The heaviness in her chest lightens. The sobs and croaks softened with every minute the two of them stayed like that, until Jesse only released quiet and steady breaths. She shut her eyes, her grip on him loosening, as a small smile grew.

"Thanks."


	12. Kids

Everyone knew that being out in the woods at night time all alone was asking for doom, but most adults wouldn't even allow their children a daytime stroll through the woods, paranoid about monsters hiding in the shadows of the thicker trees. Never go into the forest without a grown-up. It was the first rule that almost every kid had drilled into their head, repeated by their parents, the schoolhouse teachers, and the town guards.

But that never meant they listened. What the adults failed to realize was that the forest was the perfect spot for anyone who simply longed to disappear for an afternoon. And for Jesse and Olivia, it was their little secret world they ran away to. They often went together, whether escaping the chasing from the schoolyard bullies or simply looking for a spot for their imaginary adventures as the Order of the Stone.

(Well, _half_ of the Order of the Stone. It would be nice to have more playmates so someone could be Magnus or Soren, since there were only so many adventures they could do with only Gabriel and Ellegaard.)

Today was no different. As soon as the bell of the schoolhouse rung for the last time, the two young girls dashed out onto the cobblestone, hand in hand, heading towards the space behind the nearby bakery where none of the guards would spot them leaving the perimeters of town. Just to be safe, however, Jesse poked her head out around the corner of the building. With the coast clear, the two sprinted away from the stone roads onto the grass that led into the forest. The oak trees towering above them provided enough cover with their long branches. When they were far enough, their running slowed down to a stroll as they continued further down along the dirt path.

Olivia trailed behind her friend, their linked hands being the only thing that kept Jesse from running ahead and accidentally leaving Olivia behind. She heard Jesse begin to happily hum a tune, taught to them by their teacher at the schoolhouse, as they walked along together. The humming only came to a halt when the two girls passed by a new sight along their trail. A large branch from one of the many trees around them appeared to have broken off and now laid in the grass. Tiny, thinner branches extended from the large one, several leaves still attached. It caught Jesse's attention right away, as Olivia felt her friend release her hand and skip over to the branch. She watched Jesse bend down to the branch, snapping off one of the smaller twigs and plucking any remaining leaves off it, before the young girl hopped back up to her feet and turned around to face Olivia.

"Look Liv!" Jesse beamed, presenting the twig to her as if it were a piece of gold, "My new sword!"

Jesse then began to swing the twig around, imitating the sword fighting she often read about in her favorite books. She even made her own sound effects for her "sword" with _whooshes_ and _clangs_ alike. Olivia couldn't help but giggle at the sight, watching as a nearby tree stump became Jesse's next target.

"Evil-doer, your tyranny ends here!" She exclaimed in a loud voice, quickly slamming the twig onto the stump. Her eyes went wide as her mistake dawned upon her, the impact on the stump causing her weapon to snap in half.

Jesse pouted, "Darn it."

Olivia let out another laugh, "Not a very strong sword, huh?"

Jesse lifted the remaining half of her twig in her palms, overdramatically bowing her head and whispering softly, "It served me well in many battles. Farewell, old friend."

The false somber in her expression dropped immediately as she tossed the twig over her shoulder and turned her attention back to the grinning Olivia, joining in with her friend's laughter.

"You're so weird, Jesse," Olivia said, moving to continue walking.

Jesse caught up to her, "I'm not weird, I'm electric!"

Olivia glanced at her, "You mean, _eccentric_?"

"Yeah, that," Jesse said with a nod.

"Uh huh. But I didn't mean that in a bad way," Olivia continued. "I like that you're weird."

"Really?"

Before she could answer, the two were stopped by a stream that ran across the forest grounds, splitting it into two sides. The only way across was a fallen hollow log that created a makeshift bridge for small adventurers like Jesse and Olivia. They were no strangers to using it, as Jesse stepped up first. Once she was on top, she held out her arms to balance herself before turning around and holding out her hand to help Olivia climb up.

"Yeah, it makes you fun to play with. You have a new idea for a game everyday, and you're not scared to try things that seem scary," Olivia picked up their conversation as she slowly followed behind Jesse, taking careful steps across the old wood of the log. She took a quick glance at their reflections in the trickling stream below, the image of their journey across shook as the gentle current moved along. Jesse held head up forward, in sharp contrast to Olivia, who was keeping her eyes downward. She sighed, "Not like me."

Jesse looked back at Olivia, looking like she was ready to say something, but closed her mouth and turned forward again. They'd reached the other side of the stream's edge and each took a turn hopping off the log onto the grass.

"Well, I like that you're smart," She heard Jesse say the moment her feet touched the ground.

"Huh?"

Jesse smiled, "You know lots of stuff, like the really big words that I have trouble with in books. And you're careful, you stop me whenever I'm about to do something dumb or help me when I get hurt," She looked ahead to the miles of oak trees before them, "Coming out here's no fun when you're by yourself. That's why I like it when you're with me. You're the brains, and I'm the brand!"

" _Brawn_ , Jesse."

"Right!"

Olivia laughed, before returning the smile to her friend, "Thanks."

"Anytime," Jesse spun around and placed her hands confidently at her sides, a playful spark lighting up her eyes, "now to more important matters!" She paused to clear her throat, then continued with an imitation of the deepest voice she could muster, "Gabriel the Warrior and Ellegaard the Redstone Engineer continue on their journey! What foes await them on their perilous mission to defeat the forces of evil? Where shall we venture to today?"

Olivia replied with her own play-voice, "I don't know Gabriel, we already defeated the Wooden Warlock yesterday, and we explored the Crater of Mystery the day before."

Jesse tapped her chin, pacing around the grass in her own invisible circle. Olivia watched her without saying a word, having learned a long time ago that it was best to not interrupt Jesse when a new playtime activity idea was boiling and forming inside that strange head of hers.

"I got it!" Jesse exclaimed, pausing in her movements and snapping her fingers. She quickly realized she'd broken character and cleared her throat again, returning to the impression of a voice that sounded like it was full of gravel. "Today, the Order of the Stone will venture to the mystical seas, home to the deadliest creatures from the deepest oceans, and locate the rare treasure behind the Waterfalls of Chaos!"

"So, we're going to the pond?" Olivia said, smirking as she wondered how her friend came up with those silly names.

"Come on, Liv," Jesse pouted, dropping her voice to a small whisper, "waterfalls of chaos sounds cooler!"

She shrugged, "Okay. Lead the way, Gabriel."

Jesse held out her hand, that same smile still on her face, "Dream team?"

Olivia gently took ahold of her friend's hand, "Dream team."

With that and a tug, the two were sent off running once more. The world around them passing by, and it disappeared as the fantastical world they'd created surrounded them instead. It was a kinder world, and a world that only they knew. It was a world that was home.


	13. Grief

The days following the defeat of the Wither Storm were a mess, to say the least.

And normally, Axel didn't mind messes. Causing a bit of chaos now and again was something that kept life interesting, even if it normally came at the cost of lectures from Olivia and Jesse. But lately, Axel had been learning that there were two kinds of chaos in life. You had the fun kind, and then you had the kind that left things in shattered pieces.

Destruction is easy. Rebuilding is hard. Being a griefer, Axel knew this better than anyone. Blowing up the ruins of what used to be Soren's hidden temple? Fun. Gathering the materials once they had been lodged free due to the TNT and hoisting them back to their makeshift town? Not as much. But as much as Axel had always hated cleaning throughout his life, it was what needed to be done in the end. He wouldn't argue with that.

But that law of life didn't just apply to the shambles of what were once buildings. People could be destroyed too. Even though people were made of stronger stuff than obsidian, when they fell, they fell hard, and it would never be easy to put them back together.

In those brief moments after the Wither Storm's end, Axel had watched Jesse be destroyed.

And he hadn't been able to do a single thing to stop it.

All he could do was stick around her as she desperately tried to build walls around herself. However, those walls were flimsy, and little things were more than enough to topple the blocks over. Sometimes it was watching a group of people sharing a ration of carrots, other times it was a passive mob of wild pigs trotting along in the forest surrounding the group of small stone cottages. There were times when Axel couldn't pinpoint the catalyst, but nonetheless something had knocked a block off, and he could see his friend's eyes become watery as she excused herself.

Whenever it occured, Jesse always seemed to go to a spot where none of her friends could find her. She would return a short time later, with a fake smile and an excuse of needing to get some water before trying to return to whatever task they'd been doing previously. No one bought it, but no one had the courage to say anything either.

Until today, in the early morning, when Axel and Olivia once again lost sight of Jesse as everyone was receiving a ration of food, gathered days prior, for breakfast. The two split up to search for her, wanting to make sure she was at least still eating. It didn't take long for the griefer to find his friend in the spot where he searched first.

A memorial for Reuben had been one of the first things Jesse committed herself to building, and it was reaching its final stages of completion, with the quartz base and pillars made from polished Diorite. It was on top of the structure where he spotted her.

Axel breathed in, before calling up to her, "Jesse?"

She yelped in surprise, as she quickly turned around, her hands moving to hide themselves behind her back. The moment the two of them locked eyes, Jesse gave him a smile that looked ready to tremble at the drop of a hat, "Axel! Hey, what's…" She swallowed to keep her smile, "What's up?"

"Couldn't find you at breakfast," Axel said. "You should eat something."

"I'm okay. I ate some bread on my way over here."

"Right," Axel kept his focus on her hidden hands, "so, whatcha doing up there?"

"Nothing!" She said. Slowly, her hands drew themselves back into view, her left holding a chunk of flint while the right tightly gripped a piece of steel. She took a small step to the side, revealing the quartz torch that had been placed atop of the memorial, it was noticeably missing a flickering fire, "The flame went out. I was just re-lighting it."

Jesse turned away from her friend once more, giving the steel a quick scrape against the flint. Tiny sparks leapt off the chunk, but no flame sprouted, "But it won't light up for some reason."

Axel moved slowly towards the monument, noticing a temporary staircase made up of dirt blocks Jesse had created in front of the structure.

"Didn't it rain last night?" Axel said, his words moving forced and slow. "The wood's probably too wet."

"Oh."

Axel took a step onto the first dirt block, "Yeah, sorry Jesse. How about we find that Nether portal? We can grab a piece of Netherrack and bring it back here. That stuff stays on fire for a long time." He paused before adding, "Maybe fight a few zombies on the way?"

"No, it's fine," Jesse said, refusing to look at him. "I can light this."

He reached the second step, "It won't work like that, Jesse."

She ignored him and continued her fruitless struggle. Flick after flick, she tensed up more with every one, and still no flame would arrive.

"It's fine, I got it."

"Jesse," He started again.

"I got it."

The flicks became faster, more sloppy. The sparks grew scarce.

He stepped onto the quartz surface, "Jesse, come on-,"

"I said I got it!"

"Jesse!"

 _Crack._

She froze in her movements, watching as the chunk of flint in her hand broke into pieces. The shards only rested in her palm for a brief second before they poofed in a cloud of dust. Jesse let out a frustrated yell, spinning on her heel, she hurled the steel down towards the cobblestone path below the memorial before collapsing to her knees. Her hands clamped up, shielding her eyes away from the world. She cursed under her breath, most of the words were indecipherable, although Axel could make out "stupid" and "useless" while the rest turned into a garbled jumble mixed in with shaky sobs. Jesse stayed there, unmoving. All of her strength, whatever was left of it anyway, was drained out.

With no hesitation, Axel took a final step closer to her, his large hands found themselves a gentle place on his friend's shoulders.

"Come on buddy," He said, helping her to her feet, "Let's go sit somewhere else."

* * *

He'd led her to a spot under an oak tree a distance away from town. There, the two of them sat in the shade for what felt like hours. Jesse didn't speak at first, needing to release what remained of her sobs. Axel had gladly offered his arm to cling to, and with no one else around to see, Jesse had accepted it and buried her face into his green sleeve.

Once she had calmed down, Jesse released him, and they began talking again. The conversations started out as quiet, awkward attempts at small talk. They chatted about the construction jobs, about Magnus and Gabriel taking charge of the search parties, and about the sudden new admiration they'd been receiving from complete strangers. (Axel had been enjoying it just a bit more than Jesse, but now wouldn't be the time to bring it up.)

"They're planning a ceremony to thank us," Jesse said, her voice still slightly hoarse from her previous crying.

Axel glanced over at her, "Huh. So that's why they're setting up that rainbow beacon in the middle of town?"

Jesse nodded, "Yep. Gabriel said it's supposed to be a symbol of 'a new beginning' or something like that." She looked straight ahead, eyes now fixed onto the stone cottages standing by the lake in the distance, "He also said I should give a speech."

"Whoever said you had to?" Axel said. "Gabriel's not the boss of you."

"You're right, I don't have to, but," She leaned back further on the tree's trunk, "I think I should. People are scared right now. Nobody knows what's going to happen next. Some people don't even know if they still have a home to go back to. Everyone's just looking for something to guide them. _Someone_ to guide them. They need somebody to stand up on a stage, smile, and tell them that everything's going to be okay. And I think," She trailed off, watching a group of townspeople far away walking by with armloads of blocks and other building tools. "I think they want that someone to be me."

Before Axel could say another word, Jesse was already looking down towards the ground, her voice beginning to shake once more, "But how am I supposed to do that? I can't even light up a stinking torch without turning into a wreck." Jesse trembled, she wrapped her arms around her legs and pulled them closer to her chest, "They need me to be their hero, but…" Her body curled up, as if she was trying to make herself smaller, "I can't do this, Axel."

"Jesse," Axel started to say, "it'll be-,"

He stopped himself. It would be what? Okay? What a lie that would be. Nothing was going to be "okay" and magically make everything better. At least not for a long time. He knew that nothing would ever bring back what they'd lost. Nothing was going to bring back their town, their homes, their forest…

Nothing would bring back the little pig whose presence was only missed more each day.

Axel shut his eyes for a brief moment. He let the air around him brush past, to ease the heaviness he felt just a bit. Then, opening his eyes, he looked back to Jesse, and said the only thing he could.

"It won't hurt like this forever."

Jesse rose her head, looking at him with red puffy eyes.

Axel continued, "When stuff like this happens, it's like getting hit really hard right in your heart. It hurts like the Nether, and it's gonna keep hurting for a long time. It'll probably be a while before you even feel like you're healing. " He folded his arms, leaning back to get a good look at the sky, "But you're gonna heal. And eventually, even though it won't go away forever, it'll be easier. It'll become easier for that pain to heal."

Jesse sniffled, using one hand to wipe at her eye before turning back to Axel, "You're right. I know you're right."

She shuddered, then croaked out. "I just…wish it didn't hurt so much now."

"I know buddy."

Axel raised his free arm, offering it to her once more. But this time, when Jesse moved forward, she flew past his arm and grabbed onto his center, wrapping her arms around his back. Axel didn't even flinch, instead he simply lowered his arms and wrapped them around her, pulling her closer.

"Don't worry, Jess," Axel told her, "you're not doing this alone. We'll be on that stage with you."

Jesse tightened her grip, "Thanks Axel."

People fall hard. They always do, and they're the hardest to rebuild. Axel knew that putting the pieces back together would be the biggest challenge he and his friends would face.

But that only made it worth it even more.


	14. The Golden Ending (MCSM AU Month Day 22)

Jesse had her fair share of scars. What former adventurer didn't have at least one? So far in her life, she'd gotten them in spots that were usually covered by her clothing, or often in places that were barely noticeable unless one looked closely. How she'd managed to not even get a large one on her face after years of neglecting to wear a helmet in battle, nobody knew.

However, her final battle with the former Admin, now just Romeo, had left a considerable amount of injuries, bruises, and of course, scars, all over her body. The most prominent scars she'd gained from the battle could be seen on her right hand, the same hand that she wielded the golden gauntlet used to take down Romeo once and for all. Jesse concluded that they likely were from that singular, final punch that both stripped Romeo of his powers and shattered the gauntlet on impact. She recalled a burning feeling covering her entire hand in that one moment, but at the time, the adrealine running through her body had numbed the pain. It wasn't even until a day afterwards, when Ivor was tending to some of her more pressing injuries, that Jesse spotted the scars on her hand.

The scars themselves were rather large, looking almost like splotches of dark red paint were covering her knuckle and fingers. Jesse counted herself luck that, other than the stinging pain that came with any burn injury, after a few days and many healing potions courtesy of Ivor, there didn't seem to be any lingering aches.

Jack, who had taken residency at the Order Hall with Nurm as repairs to the duo's shop were being done, wholeheartedly agreed with her on that. Another former adventurer himself, he too had many scars all over his body, and like the extravegant storyteller he was, he had no qualms with sharing a few of his own scrapes. What was the most recent one he'd told her? Oh yes, a large bite mark he had on his left leg from a battle with the "Marsh Beast of Har'lang Swamps".

 _"They hurt like the Nether," Jack said one night as they both held drinks in their hands, "but each one has a story."_

 _Jesse nodded, "Another way of telling myself that I made it out alive in the end, huh?"_

 _Jack chuckled, raising the mug in his hand, "Cheers to that, friend."_

Weeks past. Beacontown and its "Beautification Project" repaired the broken parts of town, removed all the excess lava, and slowly allowed the townsfolk to return to a relaxed everyday life. And yet, that soft pain still lingered on Jesse's hand. Every doctor or individual with the bare minimum of medical knowledge she'd seen couldn't seem to find any cause. The scars were healing, they told her, and the pain was likely just a side effect, something that would be gone and forgotten about soon.

"Soon" never came.

The soft pain would grow worse. One moment, Jesse would be having a drink of water or discussing building plans with Lukas and Radar, and the next she would feel that stabbing pain pulse in her hand, moving up into her arm, and eventually resulting in a horrible migraine that pounded in her head. The moments of pain were short, at first. But with every one, they seemed to go on for longer. Seconds turned into minutes. Minutes turned to hours.

So far, Jesse found a temporary solution by drinking potions of healing, of which the Order Hall luckily still had plenty of in storage. The potions didn't stop the pain completely, but they at least kept it tolerable enough for her to get work done.

And Jesse had a _lot_ of work to do.

* * *

"I'm worried about her."

Jack looked up from his plate. Lukas, sitting across from him at the table, held his forehead in one hand while the other gripped a feather quill pen raised above a blank page in one of the writer's many journals.

Next to the blond was the empty seat where Jesse had been sitting only moments ago before finishing up her dinner and heading off to bed early on that night. Radar and Nurm had soon followed, with the latter always being one to hit the hay early and the former wanting extra sleep tonight so he could plan next month's schedule in the morning.

"Why's that?" Jack asked.

Lukas sighed, placing the quill aside and shutting the journal, "I don't know. I mean, at first, I thought I did." He kept his voice low, knowing full well that Jesse wasn't too far. "You've probably figured it out by now that Jesse has a bad habit of overworking herself."

Jack nodded, "It doesn't take a genius to figure that out." He gestured to the empty seat where Radar had been sitting earlier, "Slim over there has the same problem. But I always assumed that it's a downside of their jobs. They're running a whole town after all."

"That's the thing, though. If it were only that, I wouldn't be too worried. I still don't like it, but that's typical Jesse for you. It's just that-," Lukas paused in his words, looking up to make direct eye contact with the former adventurer across from him. "This is going to sound crazy, and I need you to hear me out."

Jack leaned back in his chair, resting his arms behind his head with a confident grin on his face, "Friend, I've seen crazy and punched it right in its face. Let it out."

"Something doesn't seem right with Jesse. Ever since you guys took down Romeo, there's been something different about her. I can't put my finger on what exactly, but I feel it," Lukas spoke slowly, his eyes scrunching up in frustration as he tried to think of the best way to put his concern into words.

Jack rose an eyebrow, "I hope you aren't trying to tell me that you think the Jesse that came back with us is an impostor."

Lukas shook his head, "No, trust me, I spent weeks having to put up with a fake Jesse. I wouldn't fall for it twice." He let out a heavier sigh, "It's not even that she's acting any different than normal. She just...feels different. And with all of these weird pains she keeps getting I'm worried that-,"

"Hold on," Jack cut him off, "she _feels_ different? What do you mean?"

"That's the thing," Lukas said, eyes drooping down to stare at the closed journal, "I don't know how to put it into words."

"Aren't you a writer?"

Lukas gave him a defeated smile, "Ironic, right?"

"Look, Lukas," Jack lowered his arms and leaned on the table with his elbows, "I get that she's been your friend for a long time and you're worried about her. I don't blame you. Everyone's been a bit, well, best way I could describe it is rocky, ever since this whole Admin fiasco happened. We're all just trying to pull ourselves back together." He attempted to give him an encouraging smile, "But I was there with Jesse that whole time in the Underneath, and from what I saw, she's more than capable of handling things on her own."

"I know she is," Lukas attempted to argue back. "I'm only trying to..." He opened his mouth to say more, but no words would come out. "I don't know."

"She's been through a lot. We all have," Jack said. "Just give her some time to work through things, and pretty soon, she'll feel normal again."

"Yeah, I guess," Lukas let out a final sigh. "Guess _I'm_ still on edge too."

* * *

Sleep. One of the most basic needs for a human being, yet one of the hardest things for Jesse to successfully achieve. It was ridiculous to her, how she always felt tired but was never able to let herself fall into a deep sleep right away.

She tossed and turned, rolling over in her bed in a desperate attempt to find any position that would be comfortable. The pain in her hand certainly wasn't helping matters.

Neither were certain recent events.

The drowsiness had her consciousness fading in between reality and dream. Closing her eyes led to the world of dreams leaking into her real life senses, in the form of scrambled voices she could hear. Lately, however, there was only one voice that was plaguing her dreams. Or to be more specific, different voices that came from the same person.

 _"You've **really** got my attention now."_

 _"It's all games, Champion! Winning, losing...that's what life's all about! Once you figure that out, you'll be much happier."_

 _"I made this for you, just for you, and how do you repay me? You **cheated**."_

In the darkness, Jesse felt two eyes staring down at her. They glowed a deep red, with blazing yellow pupils. She felt her chest tighten up, when those two eyes were suddenly on her own face, with a sickly sinister smile, and her own voice talking back to her.

 _"Don't worry, I'll take **good** care of Beacontown."_

It was enough to startle her awake. Jesse let out a sharp gasp, eyes wide, with one hand grasping to cling to her pajama shirt while the other gripped her blanket tightly.

Beads of sweat trickled down her forehead, as her breathing came to a slower pace. For some reason, her blanket covering her legs felt heavier. She didn't pay much mind to it at first, as she let go of the blanket's edge and felt her free hand around for her mattress...

...Only for her to realize that her free hand was clasping at air. It was as if her bed had disappeared and-

-And why was her blanket hanging off her legs?

Her eyes darted down. Oh. There was her bed. About five feet below her.

She was _floating_.

The realization caused her to let out a strained yelp, which some how made gravity turn back on, as quickly as she had found out she was in midair, she was now falling back downwards, her blanket flying down with her.

The landing was rough, but luckily her mattress managed to break her fall. Once she was sure that she was back on something solid, Jesse rolled over onto her stomach, panting heavily as thoughts buzzed around her head.

It must've been a dream, right? It had to have been. She couldn't have been floating. People don't float.

Well except for-

No. No. No. A sense of panic overcame her, as Jesse shook her head frantically. No. No. Dream. It had to have been. There was no way.

A light caught Jesse's eye. It wasn't the normal light that seeped under her door from the lit up hallway outside her room. The light was much closer, illuminating a small area right near her.

With a shaky breath, Jesse raised her right hand in front of her face.

The scars on her hand no longer resembled red splotches of paint. They had morphed, becoming thinner, almost looking like veins. The vein-like markings were crawling up, now covering a good portion of her arm.

And all of them were glowing the same color.

Gold.

Jesse screamed.


End file.
